Vermont Solar Businesses Oppose Anti-Renewables Legislation

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More than 150 businesses, including several solar firms, have sent a letter to Vermont legislators stating that S.B.30 is ‘an unbalanced piece of legislation that will upend decades of well-planned, statewide energy permitting, stifle jobs and restrict access to affordable, clean energy.’

The bill, which was introduced as a three-year moratorium on wind, has expanded to restrict the development of solar, farm methane and biomass, among other clean energy sources, according to Renewable Energy Vermont. The bill targets energy generation projects above 500 kW.

The current legislation not only exempts transmission projects and oil and gas pipelines, but also acts as a de facto ban on clean, local renewable energy, Renewable Energy Vermont and the letter's authors state.

Additionally, it will ‘drive up the cost of energy for all Vermont homes and businesses,’ the companies wrote in their letter. ‘By making renewable energy more expensive to develop and more limited in its availability, Vermont will have a harder time meeting its existing statuary energy goals, likely increasing cost and making Vermont more vulnerable in its dependence on out-of-state energy sources.’

More information on the bill is available here.

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